Provisions: Things to enhance your recreation and travel experience

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This lovely coffee-table book, published by the American River Natural History Association, should be a must for anyone who truly appreciates the American River. The 82 glossy photos and 72 essays (reprinted from the old Sacramento Union newspaper) paint a bucolic portrait of the river that runs through our area. It details the history, from the Southern Maidu Indians who first located on its shores, to the multifarious flora and fauna that still call it home. The narrative follows the calendar. For late November, there’s text about the dark-eyed birds, juncos, that head down from the foothills to the river valley.

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The same company that brought the world the first heated fold-out lawn chair now is offering a heated slip-on cover for your lawn chair. Literally, you’ll be on the hot seat around the campfire or at your kid’s soccer game, while others freeze their buns off. It works with a rechargeable lithium battery and has no coils; the heating element is woven into the fabric.

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From the northern-most section of Del Norte County to Border Lands State Park at the Mexican border, the authors (Sacramento County locals who also run a publishing house) have chronicled an exhaustive look at the beaches, trails and sights along the California coast. They divide the reference book into six sections, detailing the state parks and museums as well as trails. They also give a lesson about the state’s climate and ocean currents, even throwing in some El Niño facts.